Initial insert



S. KATCHER INITIAL INSERT Nov. 11, 1952 Filed July 8. 1949 l N VE N TO R ,(L mz/a AQrcA Ee AT ORNEY Patented Nov. 11, 1952 INITIAL INSERT Samuel Katcher, New York, N. Y., assignor of fifty per cent to David Rosenthal, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 8, 1949, Serial No. 103,619

My present invention relates generally to an improved letter, initial or ornament carrying plate adapted for use as an insert on objects such as wrist watches, articles of jewelry, belt buckles, charms, leather goods and the like, and more specifically my invention relates to a simplified and improved initial or letter insert for a wrist watch case.

In the past there have been provided various devices for displaying initials, letters or ornaments on objects of the type referred to above. Wrist watch cases have been provided with special openings for receiving initial or letter plates which were inserted into such openings. These prior devices have been found undesirable in various respects. In the main they required'very special construction, whereas the letter insert should not only be simple to install but should be economical to manufacture and be completely reliable in usage.

My present invention may be summarized as follows: The insertable device consists of an indicia display plate which is provided with a resilient tongue or strip having its opposite ends extended beyond the respective ends of the plate.

The main object of my invention is generally to improve initial wrist-watch cases by providing an insertable initial plate having a resilient latching tongue on its non-display face.

A more general object of this invention is to provide a display device for letters, initials, words, ornaments and the like, capable of wide usage, and the device having a flexible tongue whose ends are adapted to be slidably located in respective slots on opposite walls of an opening for receiving the display device.

Other objects, advantages and features of my invention will hereinafter be more particularly pointed out, and for a more complete understanding of the characteristic features of this invention reference is now made to the following description when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ladys wrist-watch case embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one end of the case drawn to enlarged scale with portion of the bail broken away;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line E4 of Fig. 3, showing in phantom an initial plate prior to insertion in the bail;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the interior of a bail to reveal the opposed slots of the central initial opening; and

1 Claim. (01.40-140) Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the non-display face of the insertable plate, the resilient tongue being shown biased or displaced'relative to its normal position.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the wrist-watch case comprises a lower half I and an upper half or bezel 2. .As is well known to those skilled in this art, the bezel is usually telescopically received over the upper edge or flange of section I. The bezel 2 is provided with a main opening receiving a suitable crystal 3. Outside the crystal opening the case has end walls 4 and 5 which are respectively provided with bails 6 and l for attachment of a suitable wrist strap or cord S. T

The bails Sand 7 are substantially narrower than their respective end walls 4 and 5. Since the bails are constructed in precisely the same manner, only the bail 6 will be described in detail. The bail 6 is generally U-shaped as shown in Fig. 5. The end wall 6 of the bail is generally square-shaped, and may have some convexity if desired. The upper portion of wall 6" is thickened, and projects from the wall to provide a flange or shoulder 8. The inner face 9 of the shoulder 8 acts as an end wall of a'rectangularopening ill which is to receive an insert plate. The shoulder 8 is provided with a slot or recess 1 I of rectangular cross-section to receive an end of the insert plate spring latch member. .The recess l l, as shown in Fig. 4, has a substantial depth.

The opposed parallel side walls of the bail Bare numbered l2 and I3, and are generally triangular,

in configuration. The circular apertures I4 and I5, provided in walls [2 and [3 respectively adjacent the wall 6', are aligned so as to receive the terminal loop S of the wrist cord S. In Figs. 1 and 2 are shown the terminal loops S, S in their respective pair of aligned apertures l4, H5.

The side walls [2 and I3 are provided with respective shelf projections to provide the common shelf or shoulder 28. The common shelf 20 is substantially of the same thickness as shoulder 8. The shelf 26 has the inner opening H2- of generally rectangular shape. The longer parallel walls of opening H! are respectively numbered 2! and 22, while the wall parallel to Wall 9 is numbered 23. It will now be seen that the bail walls 6', l2 and it have a common upper surface which is provided with a central rectangular opening It] for receiving the insert plate shown in Fig. 6. The inner edge of shelf 20 is provided with a central slot or recess 24 whose depth and width are about equal to that of recess I l of shelf 8. The recesses H and 24 are aligned, as shown in Fig. 5. The

recess 24 is adapted to receive an end of the initial plate spring latch member (Fig. 4).

The inner face of shelf 20 between inner edges 30, 3| of walls l2, l3 and the edge 32 is seated on the end wall 4. Specifically, as shown at Fig. 3, the upper edge 4' of end wall 4 is over-lapped by the end section of shelf. 20. The contour of the edges 30 and 3| is such as to give thebail (Figs. 2 and 4) a downward slope relative to the plane of the crystal 3. The upper edge 4' of wall 4 closes the slot 24 thereby to provide an anchor for the spring latch member end inserted therein. It will now be seen that each bail 6 and 1 is provided with a central opening to receive an insert, and the opening has end walls respectively provided with slots r recesses to anchor the ends of an insert plate. The end section of shelf 21]." may be secured to its watch case end wall in any desired manner, as, for example, by soldering.

The insert plate is shown in Fig. 6. In general, the plate. 40: is" rectangular; and fits the opening Ill. That is, it is dimensioned so' as to be seated snugly into rectangular-opening Ill. Insert plate 40 may be of any desired metallic composition, as, for example, gold; The plate is stamped or otherwise processedon its display face 4! to provide a letter, ornament or othersindicia. In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the plates 40 as provided with. the letters R and; C on their respective display faces. The non-display face 42 (Fig. 6) of the insert plate is provided with a. resilient latch or retention member. Specifically, it consists of a narrow rectangular strip of spring metal 43'. This strip 43 may be steel, silver, gold and the like. The width of strip 43 is, so chosen that its ends 44 and 45, wil readily fit into recesses H. and 24. That is, the strip ends 44 and 45 are to be anchored in these recesses it and 24.

Only one end of strip 43 is secured to the face 42. As shown at Fig. 6, the end 44 is soldered or spot welded as at 46, at ashort spacing from the adjacent insert plate edge. This, means that the balance of the spring. strip 43 may be resiliently displaced or biased relative to the insert plate 40. In Fig. 6 I have shown the strip 43' pulled away from face 43 to illustrate the resiliency of the strip.

It will be understood that to insert plate 40 and its spring latchv strip 43 into opening l0, it,

is very simple to pull back the tongue or strip 43 and insert one end (44 or 45) into one of the recesses H or 24 as depicted at Fig. 4. In the latter the phantom plate 40 is shown above the bail 6, the spring strip 43 being pulled downward relative to the plate 4|]. The solid line view in Fig, 4 shows the free end 45 of strip 43 located in recess ll of shelf 8 of wall 6'. The plate 44 is seated in the opening Ill, and the fixed end 44 of strip 43 is about to be clipped into recess 24. By pulling the strip 43. away from the insert plate 40, it is possible to; slide; the: end 45 into recess II as far as it can go. Then, the opposite end 44 is slid to the right into slot 24. Finally, the strip 43 is released thereby permitting plate 4'0jto. seat itself snugly into the rectangular opening. Ill. The. ends 44,v 45 of strip 43 now act as latch elements to keep the insert plate in display position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be noted that about one half the thickness of the insert plate is exposed above the plane of the bail. To remove an insert plate, it is only necessary to use a suitable instrument (say a small tweezer) to pull up on the plate 40 until it is possible to. slide strip end 45 into recess H thereby enabling the opposite end 44 to be removed from its slot;

It is obvious that the jeweler need only be supplied, with a set of letter insertsto equip a wrist watch with. the appropriate initials. It is not only very simple to use the present insert plate, but it is a most economical item to manufacture. There are but two parts to the device. The bails are, of course, conventional in nature, save for the central opening, lil'and the associated recesses Hv and 24.

What I claim is:

An insertable display devicecomprising a plate provided one i ace thereof with indicia, a resilient strip positioned on the.- opposite facev in normal contact therewith, the. respective ends of the resilient strip extending. a predetermined distance beyond the plate edges, and said strip being permanently affixed adjacent one of said plate edges whereby the. opposite end of the strip is readily biased away from said normal contact.

SAMUEL KA'ICHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 791,903 Hawkins June 6, 1905 1,428,723 Urness Sept. 12, 1922 2,267,887 Armstrong Dec. 30, 1941 

